Property Selection

There are numerous property search engines available online, and no estate agent advertises on all of them, so don’t limit your search to just one site when you can use three or four.

If you find a property you like, do make sure that you visit the estate agent’s own website as there will often be additional tools that you can use to find out more about the property, such as videos and 3-D floor plans.

Select your minimum and maximum price range carefully – don’t set the minimum too high (you never know what might come on below your budget), and don’t set your maximum too low as guide prices will be kept under constant review and may be reduced to within your budget.

Viewings

Once you have selected a property you like, you should contact the instructed estate agent and request a viewing. Some sellers like to conduct their own viewings; this can be useful as they should be able to provide a lot of information about their own property.

It is a good idea to create a list of standard questions to ask when you view a property such as “how old is the gas boiler?” and “is the property connected to mains drains?”

If you can’t attend an arranged viewing, do let the estate agent know in good time – preparing a property for viewing takes an awful lot of time and effort.

Making an Offer

Once you find the property for you, decide what you think the property is worth and contact the estate agent to make an offer. Most sellers will not accept the first offer received and it is therefore not a good idea to offer the most you can afford in the first instance.

The negotiation process can take time, especially if the seller’s circumstances are complex. You may have to make several offers before one is accepted and you should try not to get down-hearted during this process.

If the seller will not accept your highest offer, move on. There will be another property out there for you!

It’s a Deal!

Once you have an offer accepted, the estate agents will want to take some details from you. As well as your name and contact details, you will need to provide the name and address of the solicitor carrying out your conveyancing.

You may also be asked to provide evidence of your funding in order to ‘qualify’ your position and estate agents are lawfully required to carry out ID checks on all buyers – so expect this too.

A notification of sale will then be prepared by the estate agent and sent to you and the seller as well as your respective solicitors.

The Legal Stuff

You will need to instruct a conveyancer as soon as you have an offer accepted. The standard of service provided by conveyancers can vary dramatically and you should choose your legal adviser very carefully.

Don’t be tempted to use the cheapest conveyancer you can find – this usually means they are working to very tight budgets with enormous caseloads, and transaction times often suffer as a result.

Instead, look for a firm of solicitors who have achieved accreditation with the Law Society’s ‘Conveyancing Quality Scheme’ or ‘CQS’ such as Milne Moser Solicitors. This shows that the firm complies with the Law Society’s Protocol and has demonstrated to the Law Society that they have the necessary experience to offer a quality service.

Unless any unexpected problems arise, you should expect a transaction period of between 6 and 8 weeks from the date of instructing your solicitor to the date when you get the keys.